Arsenal have had a positive summer in the transfer window, as they look to go one step further this season in all competitions.
The Gunners have spent big this summer, reinforcing the whole squad with £250 million worth of signings in the market.
Nearly every single position has been covered, with Mikel Arteta gaining strength in depth across the team.
One particular area that has seen some attention is the backline, which, so far, has seen Cristhian Mosquera join from Valencia.
Given the strength of Arsenal’s defence, it’s tough to see where they could improve further, but it could be on the cards, and it’s an area that has drawn great praise.
Ian Graham outlines Arsenal’s defensive transfer decisions
If there is one thing that Arteta seems to love about the transfer market, it’s signing hybrid defenders for this team.
Arsenal are a defensively strong side, helped by a solid pair of centre-backs, joined by full-backs who can play a range of other positions.
That solidity has been at the base of the rebuild under the manager, which has received plenty of praise over the years.
However, according to former Liverpool research chief Ian Graham, that could come with some problems in the near future.
He said on the Men In Blazers podcast: “Centre-back is the hardest position. Arsenal have done really well defensively, doing an experiment of how many centre-backs they can get on the pitch at once. It’s going to make your defence look pretty good.
“The problem with defence is a lot of the most important stuff you do is off the ball. Even full-back, you’ve got a mix of on-the-ball and off-the-ball stuff that you’ve got. So all the defensive stats are interventions in play.”
It outlines just how tough it is to get centre-back recruitment right, something the club have done well as of late.
The moves may not stop there either, as Arsenal are interested in Piero Hincapie as an option to bolster the backline.
It also shows just how important it is for the Gunners to get their other decisions right.
Arsenal must make an effort to keep William Saliba with a new contract
While recruitment is one part of the story, so too is the ability to keep players at the club if they are performing well.
Gabriel Magalhaes was rewarded with a new Arsenal contract as an extension to his stay at the club, following years of impressive and consistent performances.
However, work must now be done to get William Saliba tied down to a brand new deal as well.
The defender is entering the final two years of his current contract at Arsenal, raising questions surrounding his future.
With Real Madrid showing interest in Saliba, it’s clear that the Gunners need to get a new contract sorted to stop any potential for an exit.
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